02/23, 8:06am

Powerful file-finding app for searching your documents

We wrote something ages ago about finding documents on your Mac. Fortunately, the whole point of HoudahSpot 4.0 is to help us dig that one scribble out from the untold thousands of files that clog up our Macs. Unfortunately, the problem is that OS X's own Spotlight is meant to do that, too.

06/24, 12:00pm

Puts an end to damages claims over Spotlight, Time Machine, Cover Flow

The US Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal of the verdict in the Mirror Worlds v. Apple lawsuit, reports say. In 2008 Mirror Worlds accused Apple of infringing on its patents via OS X's Spotlight, Time Machine, and Cover Flow features. Although Mirror Worlds was initially awarded $625.5 million in damages, that verdict was overturned in 2012. The company had hoped to get damages reinstated on appeal.

09/04, 4:14pm

Completely overturns 2010 court verdict

Apple has won an appeal in a patent infringement lawsuit over the company's Cover Flow, Spotlight, and Time Machine interfaces, Bloomberg reports. The case was first filed in 2008 by company called Mirror Worlds. Although the firm briefly claimed victory in 2010, in 2011, a judge overturned a jury verdict awarding Mirror Worlds $625.5 million in damages. With the latest ruling, a judge for the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington has stated that Apple didn't violate the three Mirror Worlds patents which were the basis for court proceedings.

12/02, 4:55pm

Safari, Spotlight new areas of focus

Apple is seeding a new pre-release build of OS X 10.7.3 to developers. Listed as 11D24, the build is only the second for v10.7.3, following two weeks after the original. The new code is said to make additional bugfixes, as well as bring Safari and Spotlight into the list of components Apple would like tested. Address Book, iCal, Mail, and iCloud Document Storage also remain areas of interest.

12/13, 9:40pm

Based on Tiger's style of Spotlight searching

Houdah Software are testing a new Mac file-finding utility called Tembo inspired by the Spotlight interface of OS X 10.4 (Tiger). The public beta, hosted at the "Made at Gloria" software "brewery," is intended to make finding files even easier through the use of re-orderable categories, which can be enabled or disabled at will. The intent is to make zeroing in on a precise "hit" from a long list of results faster.

09/08, 1:25pm

Google Instant provides live, dynamic search

Google at its special event today rolled out Google Instant, its codename for a live, as-you-type search. The method provides results on the fly and auto-suggests search queries based on the exact characters. It makes predictions based on past searches and automatically pops up specially formatted information for common searches, such as weather, movie info and images.

08/26, 3:25pm

Version 1.1 adds more filters with tab support

XtraLean Software has updated its file search software, DataLore 1.1. The Spotlight front-end software offers search as you type with filtering, and can search multiple Macs on a local network. It supports Boolean and wildcard queries, date ranges and file-type searching. DataLore runs as an application and a menu-bar item that controls access between Macs on a network.

09/30, 11:20pm

DataLore adds file searching/sharing capabilites

XtraLean has announced its latest file searching and sharing tool, DataLore, that utilizes both Spotlight and Bonjour technology. The app enables users to access and browse a variety of content both on their own computer and other systems connected to a network. It uses search-as-you-type technology, along with filters that allow users to search by file types. DataLore also comes with customizable search features, enabling specific folders to be selected or deselected when trying to find an item.